Father's death a warning

Regular health examinations can save men's lives.

Regular health examinations can save men's lives.

September 06, 2006|JENNIFER LIDDELL

MY TURN My father, Jerome Comer, always tried to find the fun things in life. At 6 feet 5 inches, he was always noticed when he walked into a room, and easy to find in a crowd. His laugh was contagious, and his jokes were hilarious. On July 4, 2006, his laughs and jokes came to an end. He died of a massive heart attack at 47 years old because of an enlarged heart. This heart attack claimed his life while he was doing something he loved ... cooking. If nothing else comes out of this experience, I hope it proves once again how important it is for men to have regular health exams. My father did well with this until health costs became too expensive. Maybe one day this will be a thing of the past. Not only did my father not have health insurance, he also did not have life insurance. He had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, all of which are hard to cover, if at all, without a high premium. Because Daddy did not have life insurance when he died, my mother, Karen Brandy-Comer, and I struggled to find money to bury him. Burial plots must be paid in full before they will bury a person. We sought help from the Portage Township trustee's office, which helped me with paperwork and had everything prepared for me when I arrived the day of the funeral. We also contacted the South Bend Tribune, which wrote an article about our situation. With the help of Linda Bonds and the wonderful people at Teachers Credit Union downtown, we were able to establish the Jerome Comer Memorial Fund. The fund was mentioned in the article, and the response was more than we could ever have imagined. Thanks to the support of this community, we were able to pay for the plot and most of the funeral expenses. We would like to thank everyone who made a donation. It is good to know that there still are good Samaritans. Jennifer Liddell lives in South Bend.